Not sure how long these have been around, but at Typhoon Lagoon this past weekend I ran into some Disney-branded candy, things like a lookalike for M&Ms or Nestle Crunch bars. They were branded with Mickey and Minnie, Goofy, or Chip and Dale. They also featured both "Disneyland" and "Walt Disney World" lettering on them.
I thought at first this was a good idea. People want candy in the parks, after all, so why not capitalize on that and earn every last cent, not just a tiny percentage of what the candy makers would earn?
But the more I dwelled on the bicoastal branding, the more I disliked it. They've long done branding for both sets of Disney theme parks at the same time, the obvious idea being to reduce costs. But the WHOLE POINT is to make the product unique, isn't it? "Look mom, I bought this because it's unusual. It's not M&Ms... It's Mickeys and Minnies!" Well, the very uniqueness is taken down a notch if the product is available on both coasts, don't you think? It would be a touch more magical still if you bought the candy from Disneyland and it said "Disneyland" on it, don't you imagine?
I used to resent the bicoastal branding because I was on the West Coast, and the bicoastal branding always favors the East Coast. But now as a right-coaster, I still don't like it. I found a set of new PVC figurine toys of the Fab Five this same weekend, and the box had the WDW park icons prominently in the background. Also in the background, off to the side, was the Matterhorn and Sleeping Beauty Castle.
It's just insulting what they think the public does or doesn't notice.
